Alone Together
by BittersweetSummer
Summary: A certain Harry Potter witnesses a strange sight one warm July day.


**_I haven't done any Astoria and Draco stories yet, although there was a hint of them in one of my earlier stories… So I decided to do one for them, because they're so awesome that they should get an entire story (or stories) dedicated to themselves. Draco and Astoria are one of my favorite canon couples, although Rose and Scorpius will always have a special place in my heart… _**

_**DISCLAIMER**__**: I DO NOT OWN ANY PART OF HARRY POTTER. IT BELONGS TO JK ROWLING.**_

--

**Alone Together**

Harry looked out at the grounds of Hogwarts, empty and barren except for a single flash of white marble out in the distance, immaculate as it had been since the day it had been put there.

He was part of the rather large group willing to help reconstruct the school after the events of the last battle, laboring every day in order to bring Hogwarts back to its former glory.

Surprisingly, everybody was working to fix the school, young and old alike sweating in order to forget the bittersweet feelings that everyone had inside their hearts, mourning for the dead while savoring their glorious victory.

Harry would like to say he worked the hardest, but he had to admit that many of the Slytherins were working intensely as well, as if physical labor would be their retribution from the crimes that many of their house had committed.

They worked apart from everybody else, toiling against the blazing summer heat, their backs to the accusing glances they were getting from some of the others.

Most of the group had accepted the Slytherins with open arms, because technically, prejudice was what had gotten them in the war in the first place. They weren't going to put up with it again. There were still some, though, that were reluctant to accept help from the "enemy," and cautious of the dangers that had come from many of their house.

The cluster of Slytherins looked scared, to tell the truth. They preferred to keep to themselves, but seemed to be polite enough when asked a question. They worked determinedly, never ending, probably the most devoted group in the cleanup effort. Many of the group were the quiet Slytherins, the ones that stood in the background, watching as the others terrified the younger students, never expressing their opinion, but never stepping in to help others.

_Until now. _

Prominent among the group were the Greengrass sisters, their dark hair shining among the group. Harry had never really taken notice of them, as the only Slytherins anyone paid attention to were the Malfoy-esque ones. Daphne Greengrass gave one the impression of being highly scrutinized whenever she looked toward you with her dark brown, almost black eyes. She was usually accompanied by her younger sister Astoria, two years younger. Astoria was a cheerful girl, and many often wondered how she got into Slytherin in the first place.

Harry, who had been observing the Slytherins with growing interest, found that at times, a dark look would cross over the younger girl's face, light green eyes darkening as she looked over at the people glaring at her group of comrades. It would disappear as soon as she saw someone look over at her, and she would once again be as good-natured as ever. She always left late, and always stayed behind when everybody went home, to the surprise of others, who assumed that she was really dedicated to the war effort. In the back of his mind, Harry idly wondered what she did when everyone else went inside.

On an especially warm day in July, many had retreated inside for an early lunch, grumbling good-naturedly about the heat. Only few remained on the grounds, as they were fixing the remains of Hagrid's hut that had been trampled by the enemy giants.

Astoria had worked especially hard today, determined to finish the east section. Pretty soon, all of the others had gone inside, complaining of heat, until only she remained. Harry felt a strange prickling feeling against the back of his neck, as if someone were watching him.

Feeling instinctively as if something were wrong, he acted as if he were turning in for lunch, bidding Astoria a goodbye, at which she smiled and waved. As he jogged back into the building, he listened hard for any voices, for the mysterious intruder that he was sure had been watching him work.

He heard nothing.

As he walked inside the Entrance Hall, inspiration struck him, and he pulled out his trusty Invisibility Cloak, draping it over himself, and hurrying out the open wooden doors of the school. As he dashed to Hagrid's Hut again, he heard two voices, one clearly Astoria, and the other unidentified at the moment, as they were talking too softly to be heard from his location.

He snuck closer, straining his ears to try and identify the second voice. It was definitely a male, lower than the lilting voice of the younger Greengrass sister. Harry peered around the side of the hut, only to see the person that he least expected at Hogwarts.

_Malfoy?_

They were sitting near the edge of the forest, Malfoy much too close to be just "friends" with the girl, who was speaking animatedly at the moment, hands gesturing, and her soft eyes lit up with the passion of what she was telling him about.

"…I mean, not all of us are that bad Draco, we're _here_, trying to help rebuild the school that we all loved, and yet no one seems to appreciate that. I even see some of the kinder people hesitating as they come to talk to us. They're not willing to truly trust us, and to put all of those prejudices behind. I can _feel _their stares at us whenever we work, Draco, and it makes me sad to see that we haven't learned anything from this war…"

He said something quietly into her ear, and she relaxed somewhat, leaning against his chest and closing her eyes as he tucked his chin on top on her head.

"Just think of what would happen if _I_ came in, Tori. They certainly wouldn't want me helping the school…" he lapsed off into silence.

She gripped his forearm tightly, over the branded skull that Harry knew was underneath his fancy dress shirt.

"Don't think like that, it doesn't help anybody. You have to learn to _trust _yourself again Draco. Don't underestimate other people. They accepted Pansy," she said, her mouth forming the name easily, as if they weren't discussing Malfoy's ex-girlfriend, "…and she tried to turn in Harry during the battle."

Malfoy's eyes tightened at the name of his ex, then he relaxed as Astoria looked up at him, her eyes shining. The moment suddenly became intimate, and Harry felt as if he was intruding. Was it getting warmer, or was it just him?

"Has she gotten over me yet?" he teased, the hint of his old smirk coming back into his features.

"You know the answer to that. She hasn't stopped glaring at me ever since I came here."

So _that _was the reason for the animosity between the two girls…

Astoria's expression once again became serious, and she once again got back on topic.

"Anyway, they might not get used to you at first, Draco. Look at us, it's been a couple months already, and I can tell they're still uncomfortable around us. Think positive, and those thoughts will eventually be true. I think it's my parents that you need to think about at the mom-- _oh_!"

She gasped as Draco suddenly captured her lips in a chaste kiss. Her eyes closed slowly as she smiled as they broke apart.

Harry had never thought that Malfoy could have such an… affectionate look in his eyes. Who knew that two totally different people can have such an effect on each other?

He was staring at her face with a smoldering look, one that made Harry feel as if he had to get away quickly. He hastened to get away as quietly as he could, sneaking a peek behind him as he walked away.

They were currently intertwined in a close embrace, Astoria against the thick trunk of the ancient tree, her arms around Malfoy's neck as he peppered kisses across her face, on her forehead, over her closed lids, the tip of her nose, and finally, her lips. His pale hands were in her dark curls, running themselves through her thick hair. Harry thought he heard Malfoy groan loudly as the couple rapidly disappeared from view.

He dashed into the Great Hall, and sat next to Ginny, who smiled brightly at him, asking why he was all red. He blamed the heat, and tried to burn out the image of Malfoy snogging Astoria from his brain. He was never going to be able to look at her in the eye ever again. Of course, all of his thoughts were extinguished as Ginny kissed him out of the blue, much to the protest of her brothers.

(_Hey! We're trying to __eat__ over here!) _

--

In the forest, a rather rumpled looking Draco and Astoria were sitting by the tree trunk, breathing rather loudly, laughing in quick, short bursts.

"Do you think Potter will be able to look at either of us anymore?" Draco smirked knowingly, eyes shining.

Astoria just smiled, and replied, "At least we're alone now, alone and _together_."

"I don't think they'll be missing you at lunch today," he growled, looking over her disheveled appearance.

"I'm not that hungry at the moment, Mr. Malfoy," she teasingly replied.

And they were at it again.

--

Of course, all were surprised when Witch Weekly reported the courting of Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass. All except a certain Harry Potter, whose blush still hadn't faded for days.

**--**

**_Oh, I am NOT happy with the ending of the story at all. I am not pleased with characterization either. I am SO sorry, I'm not the best at characterizing Draco Malfoy. He's such an interesting character, and I'm afraid I wasn't able to capture that angsty-ness in this. I just felt like writing something light and happy. So to all who were expecting something else, I'm deeply sorry.  
_**

**_I still have a soft spot for this story though. I enjoyed writing it very much._**

**_Much love and an un-angsty Draco Malfoy for your own,_**

**_-BittersweetSummer_**

**_:D_**


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